


Able

by camichats



Series: Dictionary Prompts [38]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Howard Stark Lives, Howard Stark's Good Parenting, Identity Reveal, M/M, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 08:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15408876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Tony and Bucky are happily together, but Bucky is the only one on the team who knows that he's Iron Man. After a conversation with Steve, Howard convinces Tony to tell the rest of the Avengers.





	Able

Bucky and Tony were cuddling on the couch when Howard walked in. Tony glanced at him then looked back at the tv, but Bucky got a little tense and suddenly wasn't near as comfy to lay on. Tony sighed and paused the movie, then climbed off of him and sat up. "What's up?"    
  
"Steve just gave me an earful," Howard said, discomfited.    
  
Bucky snorted, sitting up as well. "What did you do?"    
  
"I didn't do anything," Howard said, and it was hard to say if he was playing offended or was actually offended.    
  
"Mhm. What else would you like to lie about today? The color of the Iron Man suit, Steve’s birthday… If you're out of ideas, I can help you out."    
  
Howard gave Tony a flat look at that. "Thanks, I'm good."    
  
"What was Steve yelling at you for?" Bucky reminded him.    
  
"Oh, yes. Tony, he thinks I'm forcing you to stay here instead of finishing your education because you'd be so far away. Not that Boston is that far, and-- as you keep telling me-- you're capable of taking care of yourself. But still. He thinks I’m keeping you here instead of letting you follow your dreams."    
  
"Okay," Tony said slowly, "and why are you telling me this? Cap likes me and all, but the man's a wall of stubbornness; I can't convince him of anything. I don't even know what you'd want me to tell him."    
  
"That you're Iron Man ought to do the trick."    
  
"What?" Tony was shocked. "I thought you didn't want me to tell them."    
  
Howard gave an awkward shrug, made all the more awkward because he was doing it in a suit and not casual clothes. "You told Bucky and nothing bad happened. Maybe it's time I trusted you a little more."    
  
"Past time," Tony said, but it was automatic, not meant to hurt him. "Good. I uh- don't suppose you have any tips for how I should do it?"    
  
"How did you tell Bucky?"    
  
Bucky grimaced. "Let's not do that."    
  
At Howard's questioning look, Tony told him, "We were fighting. About my future, funnily enough. You and Steve have a lot more in common than I thought," Tony added to Bucky. "We should get together some time."    
  
"We spend plenty of time together."    
  
"With me as me not Iron Man."    
  
"You know you don't act different when you're in the suit right? You use titles instead of nicknames, but that's basically it."    
  
"I'm going to go, then," Howard said, largely ignored by both of them. He shook his head and left.    
  
"Excuse you, if I act exactly the same, then how come nobody thinks it's me? Yeah, can't answer that, can you. It's cause you're wrong Buckaroo."    
  
"Believe it or not doll, Stevie doesn't spend a whole lot of time questioning your identity."    
  
"He doesn't? But Iron Man's his best friend. I think he likes Iron Man more than he likes you, even."    
  
Bucky elbowed Tony lightly before pulling him against his side. "He likes us equally, don't go trying to steal him from me."    
  
"I would never. But... if he were to suddenly decide I was better than you, there's nothing I can do about that, can I?"    
  
"He wouldn't 'suddenly decide' anything like that, so stop plotting."    
  
"I don't plot." Bucky pulled back specifically to give him a flat stare. Tony snuggled back against him. "Okay, maybe I do, but you should find a better term. 'Plotting' makes me sound like a supervillain and I don't like it."    
  
"You could never be a supervillain."    
  
"Iron Man could easily be a supervillain."    
  
"Really," Bucky said, dry as the desert.    
  
"Yes. And Tony Stark? Even easier. I'm one good accident from becoming a mass murderer."    
  
Bucky snorted, giving Tony's ruffled hair a kiss. "Sure you are, honey."    
  
They did eventually get around to talking about how they should tell the rest of the team, and they settled on telling Steve first because-- in Bucky's words-- he couldn't keep a secret that wasn't life or death if his own life depended on it. If they told Steve, the rest of the team would find out and Tony could avoid a big announcement. They didn't come up with a plan past that, and as it turned out, they didn't need to.    
  
A couple days later, Bucky and Tony had been getting hot and heavy when the Avengers alarm started blaring. The fight didn't take very long, so as soon as they were back in the tower, Tony popped the faceplate up and Bucky resumed kissing him like he needed it to survive. They had waited until they thought all the others were away, but Steve walked in and saw them. Saw Bucky kissing Iron Man, who he didn't know was Tony, the person Bucky was actually dating.    
  
"Bucky!" Steve yelled, cowl off his head but otherwise still in uniform. "What the hell are you doing?" He cast a furtive look behind him to make sure no one else was in the hallway.    
  
Bucky hadn't connected the dots yet though, and was looking at Steve with a worried frown. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"    
  
"Am I okay?" He looked pointedly at the back of Iron Man's head. "I don't think I'm the one who you should be talking to."    
  
"Iron Man's fine," he said, still not getting it.    
  
"Yeah, and how's Tony?"    
  
"He's fine too," Tony answered, his voice not modulated because the face plate was still up.    
  
Steve blinked. "What."    
  
Bucky took a step back, and Tony turned around, giving Steve a little wave. "Not how I planned on telling you, Cap, but can we talk about this later? I was about to get laid, and I'd really like to get back to that."    
  
"You're..." Steve motioned at the suit. "You're Iron Man? All the time, not just right now?"    
  
"Yeah Steve. I don't let other people touch my stuff."    
  
"Oh," he said faintly. "Okay then, I'm going. Buck-- sorry about thinking you were cheating."    
  
"You had every reason to think it," Bucky said, waving his apology off. "Don't worry about it." 

Steve stumbled backward, very firmly closing the door to the hallway behind him. 

“Do you think we scarred him?” Tony asked. 

Bucky snorted. “He’s seen worse; he’ll be fine. In the meantime, I think we had plans?” 

“Now that you mention it, I think we did.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr [@cami-chats](http://cami-chats.tumblr.com)


End file.
